


Mew

by Shoulder_Devil



Series: Meow Mix [3]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, kitty!, pet the kitty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 01:11:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13869912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shoulder_Devil/pseuds/Shoulder_Devil
Summary: The adventures of the adorable calico kitten continue as she explores Michael's corridors and makes a new friend.





	Mew

She leaves behind the company of her companions to strike out on her own, to explore. Curving slightly to the left, she threads her way down endless hallways, rubbing her face and along walls and the edges of picture frames as she goes. Scratching her jaw, she leaves behind a subtle scent mark.

_Mine._

Others had left their own marks but she doesn’t care, they are back with the rest, not here. Hers is the freshest mark and that’s the one that counts. She is older now, her mother no longer chases her down to drag her back by the scruff whenever she wanders too far afield. She is old enough to go out on her own. So she does, determined to expand her territory.

 _This is mine._ She slunk under a low hanging mirror, rubbing her back along the entirety of its length, tail twitching slightly.  

A passage opens off to the right and she takes it, butting up along the corner, scratching herself behind the ear as she goes. She digs her claws in the thick rug and stretches with a yawn. She pulls a few more times along the floor for good measure to sharpen her claws. The tall one had chided her before for this behavior but that won’t stop her. She is fierce. She will do as she pleases.

The path from where she had come is gone now, taking her scent marks with it. This does not concern her as much as it should. She is not lost, this is home. She will explore, expand her territory, and return when she wishes it, not before.

Higher, she wants to get higher. The floor is no place for the likes of her. She eyes the object on the wall, a large painting. It is too high for a single leap. She is no longer an uncoordinated, helpless thing but is not yet fully grown either. The frame is elaborate, it will offer excellent climbing practice. She eyes its swirls and ridges, pinpointing the place she will target her leap and start her climb. She readies herself, her weight shifting between back paws as she calibrates the jump. Her tail thrashes in anticipation.

“Mrowl.”

Coiled muscles release and she takes to the air with a small vocalization. She hits just below her target. Scrabbling for purchase, her claws dig into the wooden frame but don’t catch and she starts to slide. There is nothing for her back legs to push against and she drops to the floor in an undignified heap.

Collecting herself, she licks a paw and swipes it behind her ear, grooming as if nothing untoward had occurred. Her ears swivel and she looks around to make sure nothing had observed her failed attempt.

More determined than ever to ascend the object she readies herself for another attempt. Her eyes steady as her back half wiggles frantically.

_NOW!_

She hits the target and is able to pull herself the remaining distance until she sitting along the twisted frame. She lounges atop her perch and surveys the corridor from on high. All is right with the world.

 

* * *

 

A sound rouses her from light slumber. Her ears pivot toward the noise as she raises her head. From her perch she can see something else in her sanctum. It looks like the tall one but the scent she catches on the air is different, warmer, softer.

She arches her back in a stretch and jumps down from her perch, landing with a huff.

The sound alerts the thing to her presence and she hears its breath catch. “H-hello?” it hazards, “K-ki-kitty? What?”

“Mew.”

“Oh, um… here kitty, kitty, kitty.” It extends a hand toward her. She approaches cautiously, it has the scent of fear to it. Things that smell like fear can be unpredictable.

The thing makes no move to attack or to flee. It crouches down, making itself smaller. It breaks eye contact frequently, doing its best to project _I am not a threat_. The hand retreats as she approaches, slowly but steadily. She follows.

“Come on, sweet baby.” It coos. “That’s it, you’re so pretty aren’t you?”

“Meeew”

“Yeah, that’s it, come to mamma.” Its voice increases is pitch while lowering in volume

“Meeeeeeew”

Suddenly the hand darts out, scooping her around the belly. She flails and swipes with claws extended but the hand is joined by a second and she is trapped against the sad one’s chest, her paws pinned.

She hisses.

“Shhh, shh, calm down. I know, yes. I didn’t want you to run away little one, I’ve been so lonely here.” The other large one buries its face in the fur along her back. It breathes deeply and makes no attempt to attack her with it’s teeth.

Its fingers work behind her ears scratching, then under her jaw. The sensation is not entirely unpleasant and slowly, she stops fighting against the confining arms. Eventually, a purr rumbles from her throat and reverberates in her chest. The thing holding her seems to relax and the fear smell is less. She butts her head against the not-sharp hands and is rewarded with gentle stroking along her back. Fingers scratch at the base of her tail causing her back legs to raise up off their own accord.

“Oh, kitty, I don’t what is happening. There was this… door and--” It, the sad one, sniffles. “But I have you now, don’t I? That’s something isn’t it?”

“Mew.”

“Yeah.”

The sad one wipes its eyes and resumes scratching along her head and behind her ears. If she could purr louder she would be doing just that. She settles for rubbing along its stomach and flopping on her back, belly exposed.

“Well, if we’re in this together, little one, you need a name. I’m Hannah, by the way.” Hannah takes one of her paws, runs fingers along her soft toe beans, and presses gently in the center to expose the hidden claws. She flexes her paw and licks at Hannah who smiles. It is a small echo of the smile of the tall one, but it still carries affection.

“Hmm, what should I call you? Callie? After your lovely calico markings?” Hannah resumed scratching her ears. “Yes, I think Callie is a good name.” The sad one placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“I see that soft belly there Callie. Do you want a belly rub or are you a tiny bear trap?”

“Mew!”

“Right, well, only one way to find out, I suppose.” The scritching fingers work there way from ears to jaw and from jaw to chest. She rolls lazily more fully onto her back, tail gently working its way back and forth. Hannah reaches down to stroke the soft white fur. Once, twice, thrice… then Callie folds around the hand, claws still sheathed, she brings the hand to her mouth and bites playfully at the fingers.

“Bear trap then,” Hanna laughs. She pulls her fingers free from Callie’s paws and scratches along her chin. “I hope you’re not hungry, Callie. I don’t have anything to give you.”

“Meeeeeewww.”

“No, probably not. It’s weird, I’m not hungry either, not exactly. Though I should be.” Hannah contemplated the middle distance as she runs her hands along Callie’s fur. They stay like that for some time, as if time has meaning in this place

Eventually Hannah comes back to herself. “Come on Callie, we can’t stay here forever.” She pauses, “Well, maybe we can, but I’d rather not think about that.” Hannah cradles Callie as she stands. She wiggles a bit and makes her way to Hannah’s shoulder, her preferred sitting place when traveling with the tall one. Hanna tenses under her and hisses in mild pain as Callie’s claws find purchase in her flesh but relaxes soon enough.

“Ow, ow, claws, claws!”

“Mew.”

Hanna runs a hand along her length, all the way to the end of her tail. “All settled? Right then, off we go.”

They travel like that for a while, Callie perched on Hannah’s shoulder. At one point she tries to climb atop the sad one’s head but could not find purchase like on the tall one. Hannah’s shoulder would have to do. The longer they traveled, the fewer sent marks she caught on the air. None of her comrades had ventured this far, or if they had done, it was so long enough ago that their presence had faded into obscurity.

A sensation piques her interest, eyes going wide and ears circling around to pinpoint something much like a sound but not quite. There is a door somewhere, Callie is certain of it. And a closed door at that. She leaps down from her perch and takes off at a trot, tail held high.

“Callie, no! Come back!” Hannah calls, chasing after her.

“Thrrrowwl?” She bumps up against a frame on the wall. It looks no different than any of the others hung on the wall but Callie _knows_ it is different. She stands up on her back legs to paw at the frame.

“Mew!”

“Callie, don’t run off like that!” Hanna made to scoop her back into her arms. She is ready and dodges easily out of the way.

“Mew!” She head butts the bottom of the frame and starts to scratch at the place where the door is hiding. Closed doors offend her delicate sensibilities. They are simply not allowed. She looks to Hannah in an effort to convey her displeasure at the situation.

“What are you--?” The realization hits and Hannah gasps. “Oh my god! Callie, you beautiful, wonderful cat, you’ve saved us!”  

Hannah reaches out and pushes against the frame. There is a pop in her ears as the pressure changes. The portrait swings open to reveal a damp alleyway. Callie catches all kinds of new and interesting smells that waft in on the breeze. The tip of her tail twitches as she watches a bit of scrap paper blow past.

Hannah freezes for a split second before bursting through the door with a cry of joy. Callie does not follow, instead she rubs along the door frame. _Mine._

“Come on, Callie, let’s go.” The sad one, no- the happy one turns around. Here eyes go wide in shock. The fear smell pours off of her in waves. She takes a stumbling step back, then another. “C-c-c-callie! Please, you have to run. It-- It’s right behind you!”

“ _What_ have we here?” The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere yet Callie’s ears pinpoint the source without difficulty. The tall one is here. She rubs against the door frame once more then saunters over to thread herself between its legs.

“Mrroowl? Mew!” Hands more pointed than Hannah’s scratch behind her ears and she leans into the touch, purring.

The spell keeping Hannah frozen in horror shatters. She takes off running down the alley, turns the corner, and is gone.

“Well that _is_ a pity.” It says, gazing wistfully after the lost meal. The tall one scoops Callie in soft yet stiff fingers and holds her to its eye level. “What have I told you about my doors?”

She bats her paw at a dangling yellow ringlet. The tall one laughs.

It kisses Callie’s head and rubs its face against hers. The tall one places her on its shoulder where she settles herself in its warm softness. She begins to groom, first herself, and then the tall one.

  
“Yes… Well, I suppose there will always be another.” It scratches her back as she begins to kneed the flesh of his shoulder. “Besides... how could I stay mad at you, little one? Callie... is it now?”

“Mew.”  

The door is shut now, and that makes Callie bristle. She considers jumping down to protest the action but decides the offered affection tribute enough to keep her sated. For now. These are the best moments, a reason enough for her to explore on her own. For when the tall one finds her, and it always does, she does not have to share.

**Author's Note:**

> Really, Michael. That's what you get for daring to have a closed door when there is a cat around.
> 
> So I guess I'm going to be alternating back and forth between "full on adorable" and "more than a bit unsettling" with this series...


End file.
